What are autosomes also known as in the context of somatic cells?

Autosomes are chromosomes that do not determine the sex of an organism. In somatic cells, which are the body cells excluding reproductive cells, autosomes make up the majority of the organism's chromosomes. Each somatic cell has a complete set of chromosomes, which in humans consists of 46 chromosomes arranged in 23 pairs. Of these pairs, 22 are autosomes and one pair determines the sex (the sex chromosomes).

The presence of a full set of autosomes means these chromosomes carry genetic information that affects the organism's traits and functions, but they are not involved in determining the organism's sex. This distinction underscores the role of autosomes as essential components of an organism's genetic makeup, responsible for a wide range of biological characteristics, while sex determination is specifically managed by the sex chromosomes. Consequently, the description of autosomes as body cells with a complete set of chromosomes and not related to gender determination is accurate and reflects their role in somatic cells.